Poll: Israelis, Palestinians back two-state solution, but fear bad faith of the other side

Palestinian Dr. Laila Ghannam, the governor of Ramallah and al-Bireh, inspects an area attacked by suspected Jewish settlers in the Jalazoun refugee camp north of Ramallah, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2013. Israeli police say suspected Jewish vandals set fire to three vehicles in the West Bank early Tuesday and sprayed threatening graffiti referencing U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry ahead of his expected visit to the region this week. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
(The Associated Press)

RAMALLAH, West Bank – A poll suggests a majority of Israelis and Palestinians supports the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, but remains suspicious of the other side.

The survey was released Wednesday, hours before U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's return to the region. Kerry is trying to forge agreement on the outlines of a peace deal, but gaps remain.

In the poll, 63 percent of 601 Israelis and 53 percent of 1,270 Palestinians surveyed said they back a two-state solution. Support dropped to 54 percent and 46 percent, respectively, when respondents were asked about specifics of a two-state deal.

The Israeli poll, by an Israeli university, had an error margin of 4.5 percentage points. The Palestinian survey, by a West Bank think tank, had an error margin of 3 percentage points.